The First Christmas Gifts and Some Forgotten Christmas Songs

Updated on February 6, 2013

Gold For The King

Wise men brought gifts to a young child two thousand years ago, and we carry on that tradition today by exchanging gifts in our celebration of that same child's birth. King Herod tried to eliminate the child, whom he believed was his competition, by ordering the murder of all of the young children in the area prophesied to be his place of birth. Herod was a particularly vicious ruler.

The gifts that the wise men presented to the child though unconventional, were very appropriate for the boy they believed would become a great ruler. He had the power to give life and to take away sins. They brought gold to the future king, and I'm sure it was greatly appreciated by his young parents. Though the gifts were symbolic gestures of worship, the gift of gold was also practical. The wise men, having traveled as far as they did for the very purpose of presenting these gifts, probably gave the boy a significant amount and not just a few coins. The parents may have used it to escape Herod's evil plan by traveling to Egypt, and they may have needed it to fund the trip back to Israel after Herod's death.

Smith Family Christmas 8 or 9

Frankincense For the High Priest

The gift of frankincense showed the recognition that this child was born to be a holy intercessor for mankind. This incense ingredient was burned on alters during sacrifices to God, and this child was the sacrificial offering provided by God himself to cover all of man's sin. It's also important to note that frankincense is collected from trees, and a tree would ultimately figure very prominently in the death of this child later in his adulthood.

Myrrh For His Suffering and Death

Myrrh means "bitterness". It had many uses in the early days, one of which was embalming. This child was to suffer greatly, and be killed unjustly. His bitter suffering was written about long before his birth, and being both God and man, he was well aware of why he was here, and what he was facing. That knowledge was itself a burden; the same burden his followers are called to bear when he later states, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me".

The Meaning of Gifts Today

The gifts given many years ago by the wise men weren't the first Christmas gifts. The first was the gift of the child. God came willingly to Earth as a man to make the sacrifice necessary to cleanse his creation of its sinful nature.

The tradition of gift giving has become somewhat commercial in modern times, but the story of Christmas is still very real. If children are exposed to the reality of the Christmas story early in life, the commercial side of it can be minimized, and a family can enjoy a much more fulfilling holiday season.

It is my hope that the story of Christmas is read in your home this year, and that the first gift of Christmas is under your tree.

A Few Forgotten Christmas Songs

Christmas is a time for music to be sure. Sometimes, though it seems the music is five or six songs done by ten or fifteen different singers. These are a few you don't hear often in the malls.

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